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Excommunicated Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo is coming to Rome this week for an unspecified period of time.

The married Zambian archbishop has continued to illicitly ordain married men as part of his Married Priests Now! campaign. The group was formed by the archbishop to promote a change in the celibacy requirement for Catholic priests in the Latin church.

Father Giuseppe Serrone, head of the Italian association of married priests — “Associazione Sacerdoti Sposati” — told the Italian news agency ANSA last Saturday that Archbishop Milingo was due to arrive in Rome this week.

He told CNS today that the archbishop would be part of some sort of media gathering or public event, but not until after Jan. 12. Keep tuned.

Though Pope Benedict XVI met with top Vatican officials in November 2006 to discuss the status of married priests and the case of the excommunicated archbishop, the pope and curial officials reaffirmed the value of priestly celibacy.

PHOTO: Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo is seen at a press conference in Washington in 2006 following the Vatican’s announcement of his automatic excommunication after he ordained four bishops without papal approval. (CNS/Paul Haring)